


Haunting Nightmare

by LionessinaBar (VivaLaReina)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, Dark Uzumaki Naruto, Gen, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Haunted Houses, One-sided Uzumaki Naruto/Haruno Sakura, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Out of Character, past Naruto/Sakura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-16 23:38:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4644348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VivaLaReina/pseuds/LionessinaBar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was meant to be an easy hit. Just go to the house for a few days and rid it of a few ghosts. But nothing ever goes according to plan if your name is Uzumaki Naruto.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Uchiha Mansion

His skin felt cold and his breath came out in rushed pants. He found it difficult to move his body, muscles refusing to do what was commanded of them. He could feel his heart rate slowing, but ignored it in favor of trying to create some kind of connection between body and mind. His limbs felt tired and his eyes were dropping slowly, yet he still found a way to say his next three words: "I banish you," came his tired voice, before sleep over took his soul.

When morning had arrived, he found himself in a white room filled with the foul smell of medicine and chemicals. He let a weak groan escape his chaste lips once he realized where he was, the hospital. "I see you're up," whispered a voice. Naruto let out a irritated growl at his partner.

"How long was I out?" he asked, his voice laced with gravel as he moved into a sitting position. His ribs were fractured, he could tell by the unsteady stuttering of his chest. His left arm was bandaged up, his dirt filled nails exposed and bit to a pathetic nub. He could still remember the feel of his body collapsing under him, his damaged knee protesting every flinch.

Everything fucking hurt.

"Three days. The doctors were worried you were going to slip into a permanent coma. I should probably tell them you're awake." A flash of pink hair as she left the room and reemerged with a fidgety nurse and stoic doctor. Words were shared but the only ones that mattered to him concerned his discharge day and healing rate.

"The ribs should heal in approximately three to six weeks. Everything else is simply bruising and some cuts that required stitching. Regardless of this, we want to keep you overnight for observation and we'll see about discharging you tomorrow."

Naruto sighed and nodded. There wasn't much he could do. When they left his attention shifted to the other remaining figure.

"You know this is your fault right? Withholding information was the stupidest thing you have ever done Sakura. I thought you learned that already." The silence was heavy as Sakura clenched her hands at her sides. They went limp as she hung her head, fighting back every emotion that wished to resurface.

"Why are you here?" Sakura looked surprised at his question.

"Well... I found a new mission for you while you were... incapacitated. The owner, a man named Kabuto, has been complaining about the usual: seeing ghosts, hearing voices in the middle of the night, objects being moved or thrown, etc. But what's unique about this site is that even the rooms are being rearranged, frequent sightings of faces, and seeing or smelling blood. These events are taking place in a Victorian style mansion, which was home to two infamous Japanese serial killers that laid just on the outskirts of London. Uchiha, Sasuke and his guardian, Hatake, Kakashi were said to have migrated from Japan after the massacre of the Uchiha clan by Sasuke's older brother.

With such a dark past it isn't much of a surprise that Sasuke later suffered from a psychotic break and preyed on the people of London in its wake. He showed antisocial characteristics but had avoided trouble due to his isolated location. When he was 35, Sasuke was accredited with first degree murder, kidnapping, and grand thief. It was later found out his guardian was his accomplice and was charged with the same things. No one really knows how many deaths they were responsible for since neither ever confessed, but let's just say the population of nearby towns and cities dropped enough to be noticed. They were both supposed to be hanged, but before they could be, they disappeared. They were never seen again and are suspected of having died in the mansion. The owner has said that their spirits now inhibit the property, along with a few other wandering souls of the past.

Kabuto, aged 30, has been living in the mansion for only 6 months. He says, the mansion was a gift from his uncle before his tragic death 8 months back. He claims his death was a result of these ghosts, so he has hired us to get rid of them," she explained, looking at him to see his reaction. "He wants to avoid the same fate obviously." Naruto's smile was a grim twist of chapped lips that bled when stretched too wide.

"How much money?"

Sakura sighed. "$100 thou down payment, $500 thou overall, grand total of desperate."

"When do we start?" he smirked at her, his eyes a sparkling mess. "In less than two weeks."

He couldn't wait to get out the hospital.

He was discharged in the morning. His body ached from movement, but he was a big boy. Plus, he had endured worst, his burn marks could attest to that. When he entered his house he left no room for relaxation. After checking that he received the money for the last job, he began his own research on the job. Sakura was thorough, but after what happened on the last job, doubt had lapped at his mind. Plus, it never hurt to do some extra reading.

A copy of Sakura's research was cradled in the inside pocket of his bag, the one usually reserved for his laptop. He had read it constantly since Sakura's departure, the majority of it already memorized. He went onto multiple search engines and searched for both the Uchiha massacre and the two serial killers. Both searches gave him a few dozen hits, but he wasn't surprised. The murders had occurred before the beautiful invention of the internet and most of the information he needed was probably at the library. The majority of the links were scholarly papers citing other scholarly works and snippets of news articles.

He was able to piece together a story. The Uchiha massacre was done by the protégé of the family, Uchiha, Itachi who was next in line for the inheritance. No one exactly knew what happened, but Itachi ended up going on a killing spree, starting with his mother and ending with his father. The weapon had been a sword, part of the family's grand collection of artifacts from all over the world. When authorities had stumbled onto the scene, the house had reeked of dried iron and rancid flesh. The surrounding neighbors were left unharmed, since they were too far to even know what had taken place in that household. There had been one survivor, who followed in his brother's footsteps, regardless of location. Though they had relocated, the Uchiha name had already dug its roots into high society and was a respected enough trading company to still hold weight, even overseas. With Kakashi, a merchant, now acting as the head of the Uchiha Corporation, he and his fellow ward were able to live in a luxurious and secluded location.

It was said that neither of their neighbors had known about their activities and had described them as "respectable." Kakashi was usually described as "cheerful" and even "humorous." But there was nothing humorous about the graves that were found throughout the property, many of which had traces of bones that were suspected of being human. Naruto didn't quite understand how they were charged with so many crimes when there was barely any circumstantial evidence.

When Sasuke had taken over the companies, he was able to expand the Uchiha name even further than his family or his guardian, quickly becoming one of the youngest and most successful businessman of his time. Everything went to shit in 1886 after Sasuke had sold his operations to other companies, the first being sold to the Hyuugas in Japan under the proposition that the Uchiha name remain intact in the name of the company no matter what.  _Smart._ He read the excerpts that he could from old newspapers that were cited in papers.

_"Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi, you are both wanted for murder, thief, trespassing, manslaughter, and kidnapping. You will be kept on house lock down until tomorrow morning at 5am. We will then take you to the public square, where you are both going to be publicly lynched for your actions without trail." An officer had quickly informed the two suspects. They were locked in a small room in the mansion, guards standing outside the room in the case of an attempt to escape, while there was a public announcement was made a few hours later._

_Yet the lynching never came. Sasuke and Kakashi's bodies were missing when the guards came into the room. The policeman searched every possible room, however, the two serial killers had seemed to have disappeared. Without their hangings, justice for all those who were said to be killed could not be severed. To this day their whereabouts and possibly their graveyards remain mystery, along with the identities of their victims._

Naruto stared at the computer screen, his mind struggling to absorb all the information at once. A small smug smile tugged at his lips. "Until now," he whispered. He was going to discover the answer to why the murders occurred, and rid the mansion of the spirits. Well that was the plan. But when your name is Uzumaki Naruto, nothing ever goes according to plan.

* * *

'Cause you don't understand I do what I can but sometimes I don't make sense  
I am what you never wanna say but I've never had a doubt

**_Faint - Linkin Park_ **

* * *

The car ride was heavy with silence minus the constantly changing radio flowing between static and a crackling tune. It was worse than the plane ride, where at least Naruto had his own window seat, his vision obscured by the beautiful view and the unfamiliar faces around him. Sakura had sat several seats over, a nervous wreck on the plane. Flying had always made her nervous. Now they were back on the ground, a lone space between them meant for a third person occupied now by tension.

The car slowed to a steady halt, a house looming in the distant, obscured by trees curled around it. The area was covered in green and brown, the wild had reclaimed her land.

"We have arrived," declared the voice of the driver. Naruto nodded at the driver, stepping out of the taxi and onto the decaying grass. Sakura followed after him, making sure to keep a modest distance between her and her partner.

The driver went to the back of the car, helping carry the equipment. He set them on the front of the large gate that led to the  _haunted_ mansion, before taking his leave. Naruto had tipped him a considerable sum and watched him drive the road. Everything was silent, the only sound was the distant roar of a car engine. They waited a few moments, observing what they could of the house from their angle as they waited to be greeted.

Up close the house looked lonely, vines twining through planks of wood and a tree lodged from a window on the upper floor. The roof looked dented, probably weather damage, and there was evidence of a garden that had wilted long ago, the stone surrounding it setting it apart from the land around it. On the porch was a man with dulled silver hair and glasses. He looked rather young, even when dressed in a business suit sans tie.

Sakura was the first to speak, sputtering out a greeting as he approached them. He simply nodded.

"My name is Kabuto. You are Mr. Uzumaki and Ms. Haruno?" the man questioned. Naruto did not like the way his eyes gleamed behind those round glasses, but he nodded in confirmation. His whole demeanor shifted. Kabuto's shoulders had slumped and he sighed, running a hand through his tied hair.

"Thank goodness for your arrival. As you must know, your job is to rid my house of those  _monsters_ ," he hissed out in distaste. "You can take as much time as you need, as long as the goal is achieved. But I do prefer if those things are rid of by this month. If that cannot happen, than that would be too bad for me, now wouldn't it?" Kabuto asked with a frown. Naruto stared at him, never showing any type of emotion as the man spoke. The job would be done when it is done. Ghosts, if they are even the culprit here, are quite easy to flush out but hard to actually rid of in its entirety.

"What is the most active part of the house?" The basement wasn't a surprise nor was the living room. There was an attic but no evidence of activity there. The kitchen seemed to be a hot spot for activity, quite a few cups had been lost to these  _mishaps_  as Kabuto had dubbed them.

Naruto nodded, his shaggy blond hair bobbing with his head. "Alright. I am going to have a look around the house and set up my things. I will be in touch with you." And with that Naruto walked away from the other two beings and through the open gates. He first obligation was to observe the mansion and make notes. He took out his camera and clocked away.

He slowly made his way inside, attempting to remember the way the textured walls against his fingers. His observations were interrupted by footsteps behind him and the heavy breathing of his partner.

"Sakura," he whispered coldly, glancing her way over his shoulder. He bit back a laugh at the sight. Sakura had decided it was wise to carry all the heavy and delicate equipment on her body, her back hunching and her forehead covered in sweat. She was breathing hard, her knees were bent and would only lift slightly so she could move another step. For a fleeting moment, he thought it was cute, but the feeling melted away to coldness as he remembered why recalling her in that light was a bad idea.

He sighed and plucked two of the duffle bags from her grasp. Sakura tensed up as his fingers swept over hers and latched on to his belongings. "These machines must be handled by a professional with the utmost care," he scoffed. A vicious grin spread over his face as soon as Sakura opened her mouth to protest. She shut it closed in terror as he pulled out a pocket knife and held it to her exposed throat.

"You know Sakura," his voice was husky, a far cry from the last time she had heard him use that voice with her. "You would look so much better in red instead of in this dreaded color," he said, the knife tracing over her clothing. "And you would be so much better if your mouth was sewed shut or if I ripped out your throat box," he growled out and sliced her cheek. The small cut dripped blood and it fell onto her clothing.

"See," he said softly. "I said you would look good in red," he stated with a forced smile that sent chills up Sakura's spine. The tone he used was abnormally cheerful. He would get like this, sometimes, when he was on the verge of going back into that dark place. But he had promised her that he was getting better, that he was getting help.  _But that was before I did that stupid thing._  But she doubted that with Narutos' cruel smile. It was sad really, Naruto used to smile so fondly at her. His eyes used to settle on her face with tenderness. It was all gone now. Everything from the intoxicating touches to the sugar sweet kisses. All gone because of one stupid mistake. Okay, several, but still.

Sakura shook her head. It was of no use to think of the past, not when it came to Naruto. He was now immune to her flirty touches and sugar coated lies. He would never be hers again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered at Naruto's retreating back. He never bothered to turn around, never bothered to forgive or forget. Sakura sighed and bit back a sob. After all, she had a lot of work to do.

Naruto walked down the dim light hallway once again, by himself. The itch at the back of his throat was almost unbearable. He raised his hand and coughed into it, grunting in disgust as the blood trickled down his tan palm. No one knew that he was ill. No one knew what caused this illness. No one knew anything. They never knew anything. But now was not the time to dwell on anything that wasn't the job.

It was time to work.

When he entered the first room, all he could see was darkness, and was barely able to make out the shadows of the furniture. This didn't faze him at all, and he took out his flash light once again and pointed it inside the dusty room.

He didn't see anything interesting. It was only a dining room that had grown dusty over time and whose door needed oiling. He walked inside, looking for a switch. He walked past the maple 6 seat diner set, the maple bookshelf in the corner, and the silver lamps. Going near the stove, he found the white light switch and held his breath as the light filled every corner of the room. He greedily sucked in the rich and elegant colors of the walls. The large dining room looked like one that had once belonged in a castle, not just a dark looking mansion. It didn't seem like it housed killers but rich spoiled brats.

He giggled childishly at the thought and started going through some of the cabinets, taking pictures of everything he saw. He left the room for a moment, picking up the cameras he needed. He walked back inside and set the cameras down on the dining room table. Running his greedy fingers over it, he smiled at the smoothness of the table, but frowned at the dust now covering his finger tips. Ignoring it, he went to the window with a silver frame and opened it, breathing in the fresh morning air of England. Smiling again, he took up the cameras and set them up, making sure they had enough tape to last for a couple of days. Not to mention, he checked that the cameras had enough power to make them last as long as the tape. With one last look at his handiwork, Naruto walked out of the room, and back into the empty hallway.

Cracking his knuckles, and lifting his arms above his head until he heard a satisfying pop, Naruto began to go back to work. Stretching would be the only type of relaxation he was going to allow himself until everything was set up, from the cameras to the voice recorders. Everything had to be perfect or nothing goes right. Chuckling at old memories, he finished setting up the rest of his equipment. Double checking everything, he walked up the empty gray staircase, the one that led to several rooms on the upper floor. He knew it was better to stay on the floor where most of the activity was, but he had to go upstairs for safety reasons. Not to mention, ghost activities messes with his precious internet.

The neon red numbers on his digital clock seemed to mock him with his inability to sleep. He sat up in his black sleeping bag, the unbearable coldness of the building making him shiver, and yearn for the empty bed in the room. He resisted the urge to escape the enclosed space of his sleeping bag for the two mattress bed, labeling it as  _dangerous_. He remembered from his amateur days when he had laid in the bed for the first time in an abandoned church. He had been informed of several hangings happening a floor above that bedroom and him being the amateur he was, still laid in it.

He still remembered the feel of the rope around his neck, a steady pressure pressing against his flesh as he struggled to breathe. He had bolted up from his spot, running out the door to the main entrance on the first floor before catching his wits. He frowned, remembering the names Sakura had called him for fleeing. Growling, he shook off those useless thoughts, deciding to waste his precious time on the computer screen.

No matter how much research he did, he always got the same background history. But he needed more. No matter how much information he gathered, it never felt enough.

Naruto sneered, having no other choice but to talk to Kabuto. He made a mental note of what he wanted to ask, not wanting to waste any more time. For now, all he had to ask the guy was for any available files on the background of both the house and the people who lived  _and_  worked there. Not to mention, having a copy of the original and the final blue prints for the house would come in handy, especially since the house was extremely old and must have some secret pathways. He needed to check in the bedrooms for some kind of journal, if he would be able to find it, that dated things before the incident. However, for that to happen he would need a copy of the keys, since most the the rooms were locked, a fact that irked his nerves greatly.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, his arms behind his head. For a brief moment, he felt a sudden gust of air against his neck followed by a brief scrape of nails. He shivered, suddenly slamming forward in alarm. His neck snapped to the side, now alert. All he saw was an open window, the crescent moon silently shining down on him. But Naruto was no fool. He's been doing this job for far too long, and has learned to be suspicious of everything, even the slightest breeze. And right now his gut told him something was not right, someone or something was in the room with him, he just couldn't see what. He slowly rose from his seat, quickly checking the camera followed by the motion sensors, only to find nothing out of the ordinary, no outlines of another figure, no body heat.  _Nada_. Frowning, he sat back down, his shoulders tense. Once again he lunged forward, his body quivering in pain and blood flowing onto his hand. He cursed, cleaning up the mess with a bleach covered paper, angry at the damn unnameable disease that infested his body.

The cursing increased in volume, the sound of bone hitting a solid surface inflicting more pain upon his person. Growling in agitation, he resigned toward his sleeping bag, nursing his wounded knee as best as he could. He closed his eyes, the wind gently rocking him to sleep, only to snap open in an instant to the sound of a hurling cry. Alarmed yet keeping his cool, Naruto checked his cameras followed by the motion sensors, yet found nothing out the ordinary. He heard the cry again, sounding inhuman and distant. He growled, glaring at the useless cameras that he has trusted for years.

This was not an ordinary job it seemed.

He grabbed a flashlight, a reliable voice recorder, night vision goggles, and a machine that tested for heat signatures. He stashed them away in the multiple pockets on his vest and pants before heading out.

The hallway was devoid of sound just as much as it was absent of light. That was one that Naruto seemed to hate, something people found quite odd. When there was no noise to keep him company, the higher the chance he would go insane, his mind a trap of memories that he would rather forget. Silently ignoring the goose bumps on his skin, he walked out the room, his footsteps echoing around him.

For a long tense amount of time, he heard and saw nothing. The irritating amount of silence kept him company, the moon slowly leaving his side. He passed door after door, his night vision goggles his only guide. Then he heard it, the loud shrieking irritating his delicate ears, quickly following the sound as best as he could. Corner after corner he turned, but yet was unable to locate that damn noise. It sounded so near but so far away at the same damn time!

He continued on his journey, turning yet another corner before coming to a halt in front of a brick wall.

"What the fuck?" he forced out, his eyes set in a glare. He growled in frustration, his hands gliding over the walls, gently pressing against them in vain. He cursed his luck and got on his knees, his hands immediately began to knock on the floor, listening for any hollow tiles. No such luck. Naruto cursed as the noise grew distant again. He really needed those blueprints.

* * *

_Well, I didn't know it would come to this_  
_But that's what happens when you're on your own_  
_And you're alright letting nice things go_

**_Pawn Shop Blues - Lana Del Ray_ **

* * *

Sakura clutched her hands around the tea cup, wanting nothing more than to throw it against the wall. The flesh wound Naruto gave her was slowly healing up, thanks to the medicine she dabbed on it. Sighing deeply, she stood up, walking around the small room. Sakura knew she should have been at work, but at the moment, Naruto was too unstable to handle. Another sigh, a quick sip, a glazed look at the dark sky. She made her way towards the balcony, which was decorated with small pots of flowers. The steaming cup of tea cooled down generously once she was exposed to the windy night air. Taking another sip, she watched with cold green eyes as her mind took her down memory lane.

_"Sakura, would you marry me?" She had only stood there in shock, her pink sun dress gently swaying in the wind. Green eyes stared into azure ones with shock. With one knee on the floor, he smiled brightly at her._

_"Naruto...I.." she wasn't sure of what to say. Sure it was a simple yes or no question, but the only difference was that it would greatly impact her future. The smile on his face slowly dropped and she couldn't help but feel guilt. Here he was, risking embarrassment in a public place just to ask her for a chance to be with her for eternity. She thought back to all the sacrifices he made, just for her to smile. He fulfilled all of her selfish desires, helped her out in her time of need, and stood by her the entire time. And had expected nothing in return. She smiled gently at him, ready to repay him for his kindness._

_"I do."_

Sakura snorted at the memory, thinking of how cruel and unfair it was to lead him into a false sense of happiness. She thought back to their days as an almost married couple. She recalled that for weeks Naruto would stay locked in his study, leaving her in the dark of what he did, even though she deserved it after he had found out the truth. Even to this day she never found out what he did since he always kept his study locked when unused. She mentally cursed herself, quickly finishing up her tea before going in search of old videos. Maybe it would help her find the truth about her ex.

**N**

"What do you need Mr. Uzumaki?" hissed out a low voice laced with sleep. Naruto knew it was an ungodly hour, he had only intended on leaving a message. But since Kabuto had picked up, well, who was he to waste an opportunity?

"Forgive me Kabuto for calling at such an awful time, but in order to complete this job sooner, I will need you to fulfill a few requests." The line was silent. Naruto took that as permission to continue.

"I need everything you have on the mansion, blueprints, documents, old paper work. Anything that you believe belonged to the original owner or that you believe to be important. I will also require a skeleton key as I need to get into all of the rooms and not just the ones we have discussed."

A grunt, a sigh, and finally defeat.

"Anything else?"

"Not for a while. Thank you, please have them delivered as soon as possible." The line went dead and the room was still.

He hoped he had enough in his arsenal to take on psychopaths.


	2. Freak on a Leash

"Thank you," Sakura answered, smiling sweetly at the waitress before going back to work. Hunching over a laptop and disorganized papers were a part of Sakura's everyday life.

She barely noticed when files upon files began to spill onto the ground, or if her tea was cold, or if she began to eat the tissue instead of her sandwich, or if her fingers began to cramp up from writing. It was normal to her. Well it started being a normal part of her life once she joined Naruto. She frowned, her eyes boring an imaginary hole into the metal table. She originally joined Naruto on his quest as a journalist. He was and still is considered one of the most amazing journalist in several cities. However, now he barely did any stories and decided to take up this…  _hobby_. Ghost hunting.

 _'What a waste,'_  she thought, her mind failing to grasp the concept that was Naruto. He was such an idiot, completely disregarding an excellent career choice for this... occupation filled with a bunch of crazy people like Kabuto and previous customers.

She knew, even as a child, that Naruto had a strange fascination, more like obsession with these things. With ghosts, demons, almost anything not human. He had declared proudly at one point, that he detested the human race, found them quite a bore actually.

_"There's nothing interesting about them Sakura-chan," he had paused, biting into his sandwich before mumbling, "They're all the same underneath anyway. An unstable species that only look out for their own."_

Sakura had not known what to say back then, hell she still didn't know what to say now. He had looked unfamiliar to her, with hollow blue eyes the color of ice and a sour upturned smirk.

But then again, all he ever showed her was happiness, and she was a fool to only think that there was only one side to a person.

She took another sip of her tea, only to notice that she was sipping thin air. Another cup was ordered, her mind traveling back in time to happier days with her ex. She truly regretted betraying his trust, but what's done is done. There was no point of wasting time on something she couldn't change. Naruto had constantly told her that. And still she doesn't even heed his word. She hated what she done but that was all she could do. No apologizing could ever fix the damage she caused, however, she would have to learn to deal with her new relationship with Naruto. No matter how difficult that was.

She finished her tea and gathered her things. There was no time for regret when she had a job to do.

**N**

Naruto awoke, his neck stiff from sleeping at the desk. His eyes were foggy but were still able to register the papers plastered to his face with drool and sweat. He snatched it off and stretched his arms above his head, the shirt rising. His hand settled on the revealed skin, scratching lazily at his stomach.

He sighed again, beginning to relax before a movement from the corner of his eye reminded him where he was. His body tensed in alertness, eyes hardening as they concetrated on what they thought they've seen. He headed for the camera, checked it and found nothing out of the usual. Maybe he needed to update his equipment.

He summoned Sakura, waiting rather impatiently for her arrival. His cold eyes met with her tired ones. He was calmer than before, softer at the corners but still Sakura hesitated. He beckoned her with a flick of his wrist.

"Here are all the requested files. They are ordered from their status and last names accordingly." She set the stack of files on his desk.

"I have done the favor of drawing notes in order to make things easier. I also have the master keys, which I spent all night labeling." Naruto only hummed, ignoring the fact that she spent hours upon hours of doing trial and error, just for him. Trying each key to each lock until something opened and labeled them afterwards. He appreciated the effort but he refused to show her any affection.

"I have also taken the liberty of doing extensive research other then the detailed notes in the files." Sakura adverted his attention to a stack of books of varying sizes.

"They are delicate so please be careful. All other books owned by the household can be found in the library, which is now open and possibly the attic." Naruto nodded, blond spikes moving with the movement. Sakura resisted the urge to run her fingers through them as she once was allowed to do. Of course those days were long gone. She just had to keep reminding herself of that.

"Dismissed." That word, thrown out so carelessly and coldly, made her feel like nothing. Like an insect waiting to be crushed. She hated that feeling and knew Naruto took a twisted sense of joy from that knowledge.

She wanted the old Naruto back: the sweet, young, passionate man that cared for everyone. Not this new one: cold, distrusting, and spiteful. He barely gave two shits about anyone from what she witnessed. Then again, no one really gave two shits about him in the first place, not even her. Her love was given to him in a sense of reward for his kindness. Not as a gift that she wanted to fully give to him. Not true love that children were told of in fairy tales. Not the love that he wanted from her.

What he got was a half assed version of it, filling his world with temporary happiness and a sense of guilt. Sakura nodded and showed herself out. Naruto barely noticed her disappearing figure, too busy reading the first file. He already knew most of the back story for Sasuke and Kakashi, but these files revealed things the story did not. Simple, almost seemingly useless facts about them. These facts however, were powerful, since they could help lure his prey out.

He looked at Sasuke's picture. A young face with a strong jaw, cold onyx eyes and pale milky skin. The first few things he learned from the picture itself was enough. The man was prideful, cold, and wrathful. Those eyes revealed all, as did his cold set features. Naruto's eyes wandered to Sakura's neat handwriting on the sides, scattered in an organized fashion with easy to understand information. Sakura noted many things about him, like his adoration for tomatoes but Naruto could see deeper.

He believed a lot could be learned about a person through what they did, what they mean and what they watch. Sasuke's way of doing things, such as killing was clean and calculated. Some killings seemed personal by the dismantled corpses and passionate vicious marks left on the body. But the man was patient and through, never making the death painless.

He set the file to the side, moving on to the guardian. The picture was pretty much the same as Sasuke's, except Kakashi's eyes were more welcoming. His silver hair made him stand out from the crowd, which would have caused a problem for a killer but he did well. Amazing actually. He quickly shook his head, not wanting to get too deep into the mind of a killer, least he become one himself. He recalled his psychiatrist sputtering some bullshit about empathy disorder or something along those terms. His mirror neurons were higher than normal and made it too easy to emphasize with others. It wasn't like the show _Hannibal,_ though it kind of was to a point. He couldn't wear other people's skins or creep into their minds, but he sure could understand them on an entire new level.

Kakashi's picture revealed a manipulative nature, a perverted leer behind a secretive mask. The man was a force to be reckon with. He quickly scanned the file as he did to the previous one, noting the way he killed. Clean, patient, and sometimes quick. If the killing was of a child, it was quick and painless. Which showed mercy and maybe, possibly regret. Child killings were rare, having found only two and one seemed to have been an accident according to the notes.

He ignored the other files, putting them away as he looked into the data base of the internet. He wanted to look more into the killings. The extensive list of victims and gruesome pictures of them made him smirk. Jackpot.

**N**

Waking up in the middle of the night wasn't an unusual concept to Naruto. It was just a part of the job, just like hearing weird noises and the feeling of being watched. But seeing red eyes peering at him was not an everyday occurrence. Not by a long shot. His eyes widened in shock, all hints of sleepiness dissipating before heading towards his gear. But before his hands could reach the needed equipment, he felt a strong grip wrap around his wrists.

"Oh no you don't!" he shouted as he struggled to get free to no avail. He felt the grip tighten and his body was dragged into the shadows, the waning moon shining down on him through the cracks. Then his world went black, his body limp as it was cradled against a cold chest.

A demented smirk accompanied glowing red eyes, filled with cruelty and satisfaction at catching the blond off guard. It was entertaining, observing the human work himself past reasonable hours to try to get rid of them in their own home. Laughable really.

"Put him down," a smooth voice was heard from the shadows of the room. The man growled, dumping the blond onto the only bed in the room. The mattress was probably still stained, never having been properly cleaned after that one body. It still irritated him.

"Now, now, let him be for now. We can have our fun later." The older of the two beings tried to reason, gripping onto a cold shoulder. But the other male didn't move, his eyes peering down onto the still figure of Naruto. The moon's light shined down from the open window, making tan skin look slightly pale.

"Sasuke," the voice cut his train of thought and onyx eyes, no longer red, turned to glare at the other. He snorted, giving in, but not before destroying some of the tools on his way out. If Naruto wanted to intrude on their territory, then so be it. But he'll be damned if he didn't find some entertainment making his stay hell.

A series of hard and rapid knocks startled the blond out of his sleep, causing him to curse under his breath. He shifted out of the comfort of the bed, which he had avoided using since the start of his job and opened the door. It of course revealed an annoyed Sakura but he really couldn't find the ability to actually care. His body ached, still sore from the job previous to this one.

He checked the time on his watch, only to make him realize he was late for his own self-employed shift. Now he found a fuck to give. Naruto's angry blue eyes turned to Sakura, who had flinched at his gaze. She knew he wasn't angry with her, but more at himself for sleeping past his alarm. Naruto always started his job at 8am on the dot, whether or not his temporarily bosses knew that or not.

"What do you need?" Sakura stared blankly at him before realizing she had been asked a question.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" This time the hate hidden in the glare was directed at her. It may have seemed like a stupid question but it needed to be asked.

"Yes," he hissed out. His grip was tight on the doorknob, his cutting gaze moved to stare out the open window. He was sure he closed it.

Sakura sighed, clutching her skirt and avoiding his gaze. "I only ask because I couldn't. There were just too many sounds coming from the room I was in. I could hear things shattering from the next room, low whispers and cold breezes when the window was closed."

Naruto hummed, his eyes taking on a thoughtful look before turning around. Sakura averted her eyes upward, taking in his bare muscled back. She knew from experience that Naruto didn't like wearing a shirt to sleep, hell he didn't really like clothes in general, especially when going to bed. The pink haired female admitted to herself, that she did miss the feeling of his exposed flesh against hers every night, whether it was through cuddling or fucking. Damn she missed those times terribly.

"What the fuck?" Naruto's growl sent pleasant shivers down her spine, arousing her like they had in the past. But she dismissed the feeling when she didn't feel the immediate touch of fingers or kisses on her skin. Sakura looked at his still turned back, loving the way the muscles moved. It was really a delicious sight in the morning, with the sun's rays shining down on his skin, making his flesh take on a more golden tone. Again, she squashed those thoughts away before she angered him with her air headed ways.

Naruto had turned, his cold gaze on his hands, which were gripping damaged equipment. Now, Sakura knew that was bad news. Naruto didn't like having his things fucked with. That was one of the reasons he hated her.

Suddenly, the blond remembered the demonic red eyes, the crackling laughter and the tight grip on his wrist. His eyes averted to his wrists, spotting the remains of hand prints in the form of bruises.

"This is war..." he whispered far too low for Sakura to hear. His eyes scanned the room for anymore damage, before another thought occurred to him. How in the hell did he get on that bed? He growled, remembering the cold chill those hands, that had dared mark him, had made him feel when he was carried around like a child. Naruto apparently remembered being thrown roughly onto the bed. He scanned his foggy memory, now only able to recall small bits, like the low voices that Sakura had informed him of.

When he spotted Sakura, he made a decision. They had to up their game if these beings were able to feel as if they were truly alive. He didn't exactly know who had touched him or destroyed his property, but it did occupy the house. And he was going to get rid of that shit and quick.

He moved to the computer, hands moving at high speeds over the keyboard. Sakura stared at those fingers, remembering the way they use to probe into her before being removed and replaced by something else. She shivered in joy at the perverted memory and licked her dry lips.

She had been a fool to think that anyone but Naruto could satisfy her. Dead wrong, but once again she had to let things like that go. Living in the past was no place for anyone, not even her.

"There," Naruto mumbled, leaning in his chair.

"I finished ordering some new things to replace all the damaged ones," he spat out, still upset about the situation. All Sakura wanted to do was wrap her arms around his shoulders and kiss his anger away. And maybe have some nice hardcore sex, but she didn't move. She was not welcomed to do any of that. Hell, Sakura was lucky she still worked with him. Biting her lip, she shifted her weight from foot to foot. His calculated stare made her flinch and cease all movements.

"Be a doll and bring me the footage from your room." His mocking tone made her seethe but she did as told. When she came back, Naruto was fully dressed. That upset her but she ignored it, looking on bitterly as he scanned through the video and listened for anything unusual.

He was pissed to find nothing. There was a small signature, but instead of glowing orange like heat would, it was blue, showing coldness. The sounds that were picked up were low, barely audible or usable. Naruto growled. He was seriously starting to resent taking the job. Naruto hoped he had a breakthrough, for the sake of his sanity and hungry wallet.

* * *

Something takes a part of me.  
Something lost and never seen.  
Every time I start to believe,  
Something's raped and taken from me... from me.  
Life's got to always be messing with me. (You wanna see the light)

**_Freak on a Leash - Korn_ **

* * *

Naruto hated when time seemed to move too slow or too fast. He hated it even more when it seemed to come to a sudden halt, everything seeming to be suspend in time. As if the universe was taking a snap shot for some stupid reason than unfreezing time, everything moving on as if nothing ever happened. As if a delicate moment had never been interrupted or stopped.

 _But wasn't that the point of freezing it?_  Naruto mused.

He looked down the empty staircase, dark and smelling of mold and accumulated dust. He huffed in distaste, slipping a mask over his mouth and goggles on top of his head, for seeing in the dark. With a flashlight clutched in his tight grip, he walked down the spiral staircase, hearing the faint echoes of his footsteps bounce off the walls. As more steps were taken, he began to wonder if the staircase was endless until he finally reached the bottom.

Looking around the pitch black room, Naruto, for the first time, felt creeped out. Noticing just how alone you are, can do that to you. He put on his goggles and began to look around the room for a source of light. His eyes traveled to the cement ceiling, spotting a light bulb not too far from his spot. He walked forward with a grin, and stretched his hand towards the hanging cord connected to it. But his grin fell when all he heard was clicking and saw no light.

He seriously hated this place.

Naruto pulled harder, even when the nagging voices in his head informed him his efforts were in vain. He took another step forward and heard another sound.

Naruto knew that sound. It was the noise of doing flips into pools, of jumping into puddles and the sound of rain hitting the Earth. It was the music of water. He moved his foot again, up and down, confirming he was stepping in something wet. He looked down, lifted his goggles to the top of his head and turned on his flashlight, pointing it downward. The puddle was large and red and smelled of iron. Naruto knew what it was immediately.

Blood.

And according to the large pool, it was fresh. He licked his suddenly dry lips, stiff hands slowly trailing the flashlight along the walls.

They were all splattered with blood.

He took in controlled breaths, knowing all too well that any state of panicking or fear wouldn't help his situation.

A situation that had him trapped in a basement, which was covered in blood, with possibly another person or thing. The breathing exercise helped, his body calmed and logical thoughts began to once again, flow freely. The most dominant which was to get the hell out of there.

The hairs on the back of his head and others on his body stood on end as the temperature plummeted. His body seemed to slow for a moment, struggling to fight back a reaction. Naruto swallowed hard, chest heaving as he struggled to breathe, an unbearable itch at the back of his throat making itself known.

No, no, no! Now was not the time to have an attack. But his body thought otherwise. His muscles twitched, his throat tightened and he coughed. Coughed as if he were trying to cough up his internal organs. Violent spasms ripped through his body and his eyes closed. He couldn't see nor hear anything other than the betrayal of his body. Then it was over.

His eyes fluttered open, ignoring the ruby red substance dripping down his clenched hand, and the dropped flashlight on the floor. All he could focus on was his breathing. Deep and heavy and painful as fuck. And for a moment, time seemed to freeze and all he could do was breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe till the pain went away, till his throat didn't feel raw and till he could move a couple of more steps.

Breathe till nothing hurt or mattered.

Naruto licked his lips, tasting the unique taste that was blood. His tainted blood. He bent over to pick up the flashlight, his hands trembling for a moment as he turned it on.

He body stopped shaking, which he was thankful for. He had goose bumps from the almost freezing temperature and he could see the fog of his breaths. Naruto began to move, hanging onto the rail of the staircase, the flashlight pointing to safety.

But then it started to flicker. The light going on and off on its own, as if it were its own switch. Naruto growled, not wanting to panic but doing so anyway. He drew down the goggles and ran. All he could hear was his heavy breathing and speeding footsteps, but he knew he wasn't alone. And that was evident enough as the door atop of the staircase began to slowly close. As if mocking him.

He didn't want to think about what might happen, but he had a feeling if the door closed, there was a chance he would die. And he wasn't ready to die just yet. He had survived drowning, raging fires, and abuse. He could surely survive a worthless spirit.

With narrowed eyes, he bolted, skipping steps and pushing his body to the limit. His chest shook with each breath and his throat was starting to itch again.

Oh fuck no. He fought it back with all his power, the door nearing and still closing. All he needed to do was stretch. But his body failed him as always. His arms cramped up and his legs gave out. His throat was too busy releasing acids and vile of blood to shout its complaints and curses. The blonde's eyes rolled into the back of its sockets and his hands clutched onto the railing with a bone crushing grip for dear life.

He felt as if he was going to burst. As if he was going to die. And when his torture ended, it was only to realize he was still in the basement, covered in his stomach fluids. He might as well be as good as dead.

He was going to die.

He was going to die.

He was going to die.

He coughed a couple of more times, breathing and crawling up the stairs. It was all he could do in such a pathetic state. Sometimes he really hated himself, especially his body. Especially in times like these when all it did was fail him. Panic attacks at the most horrid of times, triggering his illness, worsening his panic attacks: a vicious cycle.

His heart pounded loudly against his rib cage. He felt drowsy and weak. But he continued to push through, despite his illness; despite his fear; despite his bone deep exhaustion. He kept pushing on till he reached the door, and tugged on the handle to no avail.

Naruto took in deep painful breaths and dragged out exhales through his mouth, his finger tips shaking and numb. He kept pulling on the handle, twisting it forward, backward and in several directions. Nothing worked. But he was too cold to notice. He kept pulling and pushing, doing the same as before. He hears whispers and footsteps and for a moment, he hoped it was coming from the other side of the door. But than his mind registered it was coming from behind him. And he froze and slowly turned, his back leaning into the door.

He saw nothing but could feel a sharp cool sting trailing along his tan flesh, which was now pale and flushed. Something was touching him. The blond blinked several times, confused before snapping from his daze. He gripped the camera hanging from his neck, dirty and sticky from his previous episode but still working and clicked away.

Flashes filled up the room for mere seconds and in every direction. Nothing was touching him anymore and the room grew warm and he no longer felt sick. And for a moment, he felt a sense of tranquility. Then the door opened, taking him with it.

Next thing he knew, Sakura was looking down at him with worry.

"Naruto!" He hated when she said his name with that high pitched voice of hers, so he scoffed and got up, heading to the shower. His body still shook, the cold imbedded in his skin, his taste buds a sickly combination of his insides. The water burned.

Behind him, Sakura sighed and walked in the opposite direction and into the kitchen. Where there was no Naruto or reminders of their heated past.

* * *

I'm not okay  
I'm not okay  
I'm not okay  
You wear me out

**_I'm not Okay - My Chemical Romance_ **

* * *

The water flowed over his body, turning red with the color of blood. Though Naruto loved blood, he hated when it came from him. And just seeing it swirl down the drain reminded him of the agitating events that happened in the bottom level of the Uchiha mansion. Where the boiler was kept and the main control system for the light switches were located. Maybe he should have left the den for last.

He sighed and stepped out, wrapping a towel around himself. He dressed quickly, in snug sweatpants and a loose shirt far too large for his figure. He walked into the hallway, barefooted and hungry. He didn't pause to look at the basement door as he passed it or acknowledge the sudden chill down his spine. He did however, squint at the cerulean sky, wishing for a brief minute for wings. He fancied the thought, imagining the wind circulating under the feathered appendages and the feel of the breeze brushing his skin.

Naruto smiled and kept on walking, seeing a reflection of himself every so often. But he didn't want to see the bags under his eyes or the paleness of his skin or his dry lips. He didn't want to be reminded of the ugliness of his body or the wickedness lurking behind his azure eyes. So he kept walking until the kitchen came into view. As soon as he walked in, he was attacked by a chattering Sakura. She was pouring herself tea, brows furrowed in worry as she voiced her concern.

Naruto hated Sakura, and her worries, and all her lies. She had no right to care nor to talk to him about anything other than business. Or the right to touch him.

As soon as she laid her hand on his shoulder, he began to throw insults her way before spitting out: "Sakura, if you ever touch me again, I'll pop your eyes out of your head and make you eat them."

Empty threats or at least that's what they use to be. But looking at the somber face before her, she knew he meant every word that slipped through his lips. They were no longer lies, but promises waiting to be fulfilled.

And that was Sakura's worst fear.

She gulped down her tea, hands gripping onto the delicate china, eyes on her partner. Naruto's eyes were glued to a camera, which she quickly remembered had been wrapped around his neck when he was downstairs. His electrifying orbs carefully scanning the screen from every possible angle. She watched as he took out a laptop, which he had placed at a discreet spot on a bookshelf earlier and went back to scanning an abundance of videotapes and pictures.

If Sakura had known he had put the laptop there, behind the rows of tall books, she would have looked through it. But that was probably why he put it there, because he knew his ex was a nosey gal.

However, she was still able to smile softly. Losing herself in a memory about a previous time when he had been so focused on work, only to be lured back into bed by his restless girlfriend. She sighed, finished up her drink before refilling the cup again. Her stomach growled and her gaze landed on Naruto once again, remembering how he used to rush to the kitchen at the sound of her stomach to make her a meal. He had never wanted for her to go hungry. But now, he wouldn't even bat an eyelash if she starved to death.

When had their relationship become one built on memories alone?

Sakura didn't want to answer, even though she already knew the exact moment it happened. The exact time she started to cheat was the exact moment everything began to shatter. Her infidelity had been the breaking point to an already fragile relationship. One filled with cracks thanks to previous arguments that had rooted their way into their hearts and minds. Reminding them never to forget the moment when heated words were spat like acid, trying to see who could destroy who first. In the end, Sakura would win, knowing all too well that Naruto never wanted to hurt her.

But as she watched the man before her, she knew he wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Sakura quickly got up and dashed to the bathroom. The thought must have been made her sick. Ill to the point she had to lean over the toilet bowl as the toxins from her stomach freed themselves, burning her throat and clogging up her nostrils. Her eyes were shut and it felt difficult to breathe with the fabric of her clothing constricting the expansion of her chest. She remembered how Naruto use to describe moments like these, as if he were dying. She agreed, she did feel as if she were dying.

But then the moment passed. Over. Her chest heaved heavily and it hurt to breathe, but she did so anyway. Maybe this was how Naruto felt when he was saved from the lake. When he was pushed in when he was a teen, unable to swim and sinking to the bottom. Then to be saved and still feel as if you were drowning, at nature's mercy. Her watery eyes drifted down to the toilet, looking down in disgust at the mess she made. The acid swirled green as it flushed down.

The pink haired woman cleaned herself up, wanting nothing more but to forget what happened mere moments ago. Sakura looked at herself in the mirror as she sneezed the rest of the vomit stuck in her nose into a napkin. Her skin was sickly pale and her eyes looked more like a lifeless, swampy, murky green, absent of their usual light. Maybe it was the stress? Or the change in diet perhaps? She needed to know what caused her to become suddenly ill. She was fine minutes ago before she felt the stirring in her stomach.

 _But now it's over, no need to worry,_ she reasoned with herself. Straightening up her back and painting on a smile, she walked back into the kitchen, only to see it empty.

Sakura sighed, hands clenching to her empty stomach. She turned around and decided to cook something and opted for water instead of her usual green tea. She was getting sick of it, both in the literal and figurative sense of the phrase.

* * *

I'm so sick,  
Infected with where I live  
Let me live without this  
Empty bliss,  
Selfishness  
I'm so sick  
I'm so sick

**_I'm so Sick - Flyleaf_ **

* * *

The steam of hot coffee rose from the cup clasped in tan hands. He hates coffee. It reminded him of steady relationships and messy breakups. Of spiteful mornings and lonely nights, and everything bitter in between.

It was like everything he ever hated, blended into one simple drink to gulp down his throat. It was as if he was drinking the very memories he was trying so hard to forget and it was killing him. Naruto coughed, the scalding liquid searing the roof of his mouth, burning his tongue, numbing it. He saw the past starting to fog his mind and he fights it, wanting nothing but for the demon that was his past to wither away under his glare.

He sighed and put the cup down, connecting his brand new iPod to the radio system in the borrowed bedroom. The music filled up the room and his mind, blocking out all thoughts and memories. The beats were loud and fast, and he closed his eyes, and was faced with darkness. And that was all he wanted to see if he was honest with himself. Pure darkness, or more correctly, the absence of light according to scientists.

He grinned. But according to scientists, ghosts don't exist and here he was, hunting them down for a living. Seemed easy enough, when they were just a hoax, an illusion created by the brain. But the ones roaming the very mansion he was at were real. Elusive and intangible (on his part), but very real.

And the fact that they were so elusive was pissing him off. He had hoped it would have been an easy hit. Getting it done as quickly as possible with the least amount of damage to himself, his equipment and to the property, but his generic plan (he admitted it was), went to hell as soon as he stepped into the estate. Hell, probably as soon as he accepted the job knowing his rotten luck.

He took a sip of the coffee, now cooler than before, carefully gliding down his throat with ease. Naruto sighed into the cup, the dwindling steam picking up, dancing in front of his gaze for a moment. The coffee still tasted bitter, reminding him of the many mistakes he made over the years. And even if the coffee was now cold and flat, it burned. It was like he was reliving the past in an instant with a simple sip. The music no longer helped, his mind too focused on fighting back the onslaught of thoughts begging to be heard.

It was too late now. The words released themselves, floating into his mind, blocking out the outside world and the music he desperately needed. It was a lifeline he couldn't get to.

It's like an apocalypse in his head. He knew fighting it was useless, a fruitless effort. But really, what can you really do when even your own mind revolts against you? Naruto desperately wanted to figure it out. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and prayed to spirits, to gods he didn't believe in, to anything that would grant him his wish for his mind to shut up. But the torment continued, dragging on for what seemed like hours, his stomach doing constant flips, a warning of what was to come.

He should have known this was going to happen. He should be use to it. Naruto's episodes came at least twice a day on a good day and maybe even dozens on a bad one. So why did he hope it would be different every morning?

But thankfully, it all ended before it came to that. The bile going back down his throat, his body calming and the hissing voices in his head shushing up. It was like a miracle, truly it was. The struggle had finally come to an end, as him as the victor and Naruto once again prays. Thanking whatever it was that ended his version of hell, if only for a while. He sighed, taking slow breaths, feeling his chest lift and fall under his hand. It was a habit he developed as a child, to make sure he was still alive, a test to make sure he was free to roam the surface of the world. He knew it was silly but he wasn't going to stop.

One of the psychiatrists had taught him this trick, after a bad fit, his panic attacks a steady stream instead of a simple glitch in his chest anymore. He had been a kind man but he had been relocated to a new foster home, away from everyone he knew for the nth time that year.

Seeing as he was still living, he went to work, grabbing the master keys on top of his precious laptop. He hoped whatever clues he found would help make his job easier. Help him solve the puzzle that was the Uchiha mansion. He grabbed a copy of both the original and final blueprints of the estate and exited his room. He hoped the effort was worth it.

* * *

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life  
Try to make ends meet  
You're a slave to money then you die  
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down  
You know the one that takes you to the places  
where all the veins meet yeah,

_**Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve** _

* * *

When Sakura got up to her room, it was late. It had been a nerve wrecking trip from the kitchen to a secluded room at the end of the first floor. The hallways had been cold and dark, the wooden boards creaking underneath her weight. She had felt like she was being watched but brushed it off as being Naruto. She had spotted a couple of cameras, strategically scattered around the property. On a sudden whim, she decided to put on a 'show' for him without being too obvious. She wanted, hoping that he would realize how much he wanted, no, needed her as much as she needed him.

But now she was in her small and silent room, with her face in her palms. She regretted the little 'show' she did, making herself look like nothing more than a whore. Damn her hormones and herself for wanting nothing more than to have him wrap his arms around her like before. Sakura bit her lip, scolding herself. She was sick of living in the past, but it seemed her body and mind weren't. It wanted everything to return to how it was, but it was too late. Just too late for so many things. Mistakes were made that couldn't be undone and that was that. She needed to move on, without him plaguing her mind like a virus.

But he remained in her thoughts, as if he were a chip embedded into her brain. Her skin tingled when she remembered how he used to touch her and trail butterfly kisses down her body.

' _But everything's gone,'_ she reminded herself.  _'All because of me.'_

It was the truth and it hurt. But she would take it down like another pill to swallow. One she was desperate to cough up.

* * *

_"Out of the ash_  
_I rise with my red hair_  
_And I eat men like air."_

_—_

**Sylvia Plath**

* * *

It was maddening, truly maddening to watch Naruto walk up and down the hallways, shirtless and only in his boxers. It was freezing cold inside with no heat, winter looming in the distance. Sakura didn't understand how Naruto could stand the cold, she herself was bundled up in multiple layers, a blanket wrapped around her body.

But she did enjoy the view. A blush rose to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the cold.

She called out his name, only to be ignored. She hoped it was because he was deep in thought and not because he hated her to the core. Sakura took a sip of the warm chocolate milk in her hands, watching the marshmallows float, as if they were boats on a lagoon of chocolate. She hummed softly to herself, giggling as she continued to watch him walk the hallways, licking her lips in appreciation at the sight he made.

"Sakura, get back to work," he grunted out.

She pouted, batting her eyelashes at him out of habit. "Stop being a whore and get back to work." Being shut down so harshly made tears pool at the corner of her eyes, slipping out of her seat and into the room she was temporarily calling hers. Damn, hearing and seeing Naruto's distaste towards her stung deep. She took in a shaky breath, calming her emotions until she was no longer on the verge of tears. But now an unsettling emptiness took their place, and she felt numb as she walked around the room to collect her files.

Then she spotted the videotapes. No, they weren't the data collected at the mansion, but the videos that held her past with Naruto. With the angry beast a few rooms away. Her hands twitched, aching to slip it into the VCR and relive those times. Even if it meant reliving a broken heart. Her hands dropped the files onto her sleeping bag, some falling onto the ground, papers scattering across the wooden floors. She didn't care that she would have to clean them later, or that at a moment's notice Naruto could walk in and demand data, data she would have to make up. She didn't like lying, especially not to him. He was the love of her life, she just realized too late.

She took another sip of her coco, enjoying the way it washed away the bitterness the thought had left in her mouth. Fuck, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. The video hadn't even started and here she was, already sad and bitter. But then the first scene started to play. Sakura began to tear up, wanting to look away in shame, but her eyes refused to move. It was the video they made at their celebration, the celebration of their future wedding and marriage. A sob caught in her throat, her arms circling her body and her eyes tightening in agony. However, they didn't stop the sound of cheering and kissing from reaching her ears, nor the voices that promised their eternal love for each other.

She had been wrong. For saying yes when she didn't love him, for lying, for cheating and for not loving him. But most of all, she was wrong for breaking him. Her sweet Naruto shattered into a million little shards, only to be repaired with missing pieces and stone. Hardened ice and steel armor. She bit her lip so hard that it broke through the skin, blood trailing down her bruised petal pink lips.

Her eyes reopened, watching in disdain as she kissed him on screen. She should have been an actress. She had hid her discomfort so easily at the engagement party, drinking her unease away with wine. Sakura concluded she was a horrible person. And she wanted Naruto to be in the room, so she could beg for his forgiveness. Finally the celebrations came to an end on the TV set, ending with a blown kiss to the camera from her and a wave from Naruto. They had both ran off as it started to rain, laughing with huge smiles and wet clothes. Her lips formed a watery smile as she noticed the camera kept rolling, catching the moments that Naruto held her and danced with her in the rain. And then finally kissing her with a passion she didn't deserve.

Her lips tingled and burned at the thought, easily remembering how his lips felt that day and any other day. No matter how many men she slept with, Naruto's touch, scent and taste were still etched into her body. It seemed her body knew she was in love before she did, never letting her forget his body movements and the way he made her feel. And because she was such a fool, she let him get away. Damaged and cold and empty. Damn, she was an evil woman. Even the devil didn't seem so bad compared to what she did to him, to her innocent ex lover.

Fuck! Why did she always have to fuck things up? She slipped in another video, torturing herself, rewarding herself with self-pity and punishing herself with self-loathe. Each kiss the on screen couple shared reminded her of her betrayal and of what was to come.

And to think he found out a day before the wedding,

Her stomach did flips and she knew she was going to vomit in disgust at herself. She sniffled, biting her lip till it was swollen, raw and heavily bleeding. Sakura rose from her spot. Her legs were shaking and she stumbled every so often through her tears. She swiped away the files off the cover of her sleeping bag and crawled into it.

And she cried. Cried till she had no more tears to spill. Cried till her eyes were red and it hurt like hell to blink. And then she slept. Whisked away into the land of memories and fabricated futures, where she continued to relive her notorious ways. It was a nightmare that kept replaying each time she slept and that she would forever dream, a form of self punishment.

* * *

_Back in the day it just went without saying at all_  
_All the world's history gradually dying of shock_

**_THE DRESDEN DOLLS - SING_ **

* * *

Naruto shifted through the drawer, destroying spider webs with a swipe of the hands. He no longer knew what he was originally looking for, becoming lost in thought as his mind painted a picture of what each person was like. In this case, Mikoto and Fugaku, the man and lady of the house. He kept in mind that some of the rooms had been renovated, something which must have angered the spirits. Maybe that was what led Orochimaru to an early grave. The blond smirked, eyes darkening with mirth at the quick thought before focusing, once again, on the task at hand.

The room he was in seemed mostly untouched. There were still garments in the drawers, varying from expensive kimonos to simple clothing, and the furniture was still standing and in good condition. He wondered if they were preserved for a moment, observing the small chips along the bottom of the wood, brushing away the layer of dust covering the surface.

His eyes averted to the rest of the furniture, a little bit dusty but looking recently cleaned and in good shape. He sighed and took down several notes, noting anything that looked important about the possessions kept and their condition. He took out his camera and snapped several times, not wanting to miss a thing. He checked the camera he had set up the first night and checked its condition and replaced the tape and batteries. Satisfied, he began looking around the room once again, opening and closing drawers and doors, checking for hollow spaces. He found none but he did find a small book belonging to Mikoto, her signature, small and elegant, written on the inside. It wasn't a diary, but a worn out book with pages that seemed to have been folded several times too many and chipping ink.

It must have been her favorite book: Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. A small smile bloomed on his face and he carefully flipped through the pages, not wanting to damage the book. While turning the pages, a thin and folded paper slipped out. It had turned yellow due to its age and as he opened it, he noticed that most of the ink was faded, making the text hard to read and understand. Instead of giving himself a headache, he decided to put it away in the safety of his pocket and continued to flip through the book. He did the same for all the other books in the small library in the room. Most of the books belonged to Mikoto, who Naruto presumed to have been lonely and bored most of the time since her husband was usually away.

And that was what he got from just reading Fugaku's file. He had to admit, Sakura did an excellent job researching, but that didn't change the fact she was a pain in the ass. He moved towards the closet. Half, if not, most of the clothing belonged to the wife. Naruto scoffed at the layers and layers of fabric that made up dresses and wondered why in the hell would women have ever worn so many fucking layers in the first place. But there were pieces that were more smaller and beautiful because of their simplicity.

He looked up at the shelf above the dresses and spotted a couple of hats, a few looking heavy and uncomfortable and others looking, once again, simple and/or delicate. Seeing nothing interesting, he closed the closet door and observed the room one more time. Nothing seemed to have moved during his inspection. Sighing, and feeling like he wasted his time, he closed the bedroom door behind him.

"One room down, 80 more rooms to go."

* * *

_Love is a many-splendored thing,_  
_It's the April rose that only grows in the early spring,_  
_Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living,_  
_The golden crown that makes a man a king._  
_Lost on a high and windy hill,_  
_In the morning mist two lovers kissed and the world stood still,_  
_When our fingers touch my silent heart has taught us how to sing,_  
_Yes, true love's a many-splendored thing._

**_Love is a Many-Splendored Thing - Franl Sinatra_ **

* * *

"He's touching our stuff," growled a voice, angry and impatient as dark eyes watched the blond walk around his library. There was a sigh from behind him as soft and small hands tugged on his arm.

"Shush hun, it's alright. The boy is just doing his job." This voice was gentle and reasonable, but the man refused to listen.

"No. He'll just be like the others, complete failures and useless to our goals."

"Fugaku, please calm down. If the young man is able to do his job, he'll be able to free us from this place. And the reason we are even stuck here, is mostly your fault," the comment came out as a hiss before her voice went back to its usual polite tone.

"So unless you want to be stuck here for another century or two, I advise you to shut up and not interfere. Enough damage has been done due to your meddling." There was a growl and a frown but he soon gave up the fruitless argument with his wife.

"Fine Mikoto, we will have it your way." A beautiful smile graced her face and Fugaku had to bite back one of his own smiles. He didn't need her to have anymore satisfaction than she already had. But it seemed it was already too late for that.

* * *

_You hold my hands down, I've been bad._  
_You hold my arms down, I've been bad._  
_I've been bad, I've been bad._

**Monster Hospital - Metric**

* * *

Sakura walked through the halls, eyes red and a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. It had been a while since she had last seen Naruto, something she was thankful for. It was still daylight, yet she was already dressed in her night gown, a sot satin one with frills and lace. It had been a gift from a friend, for her birthday. It was the one thing in her disposal that wasn't tainted with the scent, taste or memories of Naruto. The flesh baring gown was like an open window to some form of freedom, where there were no chains connecting her to wild romances or bitter goodbyes.

They were never meant for goodbyes, at least not in her mind. But she had been the first one to wave a farewell when she slipped into an unfamiliar bed with a name she would later scream out in pleasure and forget in the morning. She sipped from her cup. She loved the taste of coffee and the way it burned the inside of her mouth, it numbed out the pain and made her smile. It was small and bitter but it was, neither less, a smile. Sakura kept sipping her beverage and passed the door of the basement. She froze for a moment, her eyes sparing it a glance and mumbling something about Naruto and blood. Naruto loved blood and she wasn't surprised when she had seen him reappear earlier from the basement covered in it. What had her worry was the expression he wore when he came out. It was one of pure panic and fear.

Sakura didn't know it was even possible for him to have those expressions, even less so to actually  _feel_ them. She scoffed at herself, she sounded silly.

If Naruto had been there he would have asked an "Isn't that the point of emotions Sakura?" The comment would most likely be accompanied by an insult, one that would sting her soul, break her already tarnished heart and ring in her ears hours after it was said.

She drank the coffee faster until she was sipping thin air and she growled. The pink haired woman hated running out of coffee. She turned on her heels and quickly walked, no, ran towards the kitchen to brew a new pot.

The kitchen was silent and the silence rang in her ears just as Naruto's insults would. The only sound came from her, as she made herself a new pot and waited patiently at the wooden table. The silence was now the most dominant sound and Sakura shifted in her seat, wanting to be louder than the silence that surrounded her. Maybe it was silly, but Sakura hated silence. It was a bitter reminder of how alone she was and if there was ever one thing Naruto had taught her, it was that loneliness bred insanity. Was it sad that she thought the blond she had lost was crazy? Maybe but it was more true than false. He had, after all, tried to hurt her on several occasions, usually resulting in her being bruised or cut.

She sighed and listened to the sound of the pot, praying for some source of entertainment. But it wasn't the gods who heard her; it was the hellish creatures of the underworld who answered her request. The window by the stove suddenly opened up, a relentless wind pushing it open and swirling all around her, shaking knives that were hooked onto the walls and making her lose her footing. She tripped and landed hard against the floor, scarping skin and banging limbs on the table, bruising soft flesh and shouting curses at nature. But nature wasn't so forgiving of these insults, for the ground started to shake, causing things to fall and her to scream as knives fell from their place and glass shattered and the kitchen curtains caught on fire from the stove.

"Naruto!" She screamed in fear but the blond never came. She cursed again, mumbling about how windows and kitchen curtains should ever be near stoves and got a bucket. She filled it to the brim with water and splashed it on the curtains and noted, with joy, that the ground had stopped shaking and the fire was out. But now her body was hurting and things were broken, and -oh god- her coffee! The pot that had been put on the stove was now empty and damaged, its spilled contents drenching the floor and making her seethe.

What a mess! Now she had to clean everything up, the glass, the pots, the knives, the coffee, everything! She looked around and noticed that the cabinet doors were now open and some things looked on the verge of falling. Maybe they had opened during the, the what, the earth quake or whatever that thing had been?

She sighed and huffed and stomped and got to work. By the time the mess was cleaned up, her knees were red and her sleeping gown was stained and ruffled with a dozen wrinkles. Damn her luck. When she stepped up, her legs felt like jell-o and her eyes were droopy and her body ached all over. She felt old and deserving of a nap, but as she turned around, she felt something cold and hard grab hold of her leg and caused her to drop to the floor, body banging against solid wood. And as she was dragged to who knows where, with her nails scrapping against the floor, she did the only thing she could.

She screamed.


	3. Hell is Knocking on my Door

He dreamed of corpses littering the floors and blood splattered onto the walls and his flesh. That was all he ever dreamed of: blood and gore and death. It was something he had grown to love, fighting in a fruitless war, where your only choice was to love it or die, forced you to. He still had nightmares, fighting battles on and off the fields, hearing the screams and the bang of the gun even in his dreams. Nightmares that haunted him through the day, following after him like a shadow after all these years. Yes, it had been years since he physically made his a last kill, but in his mind, he had killed thousands, even himself, the faces of his victims a blend of skinless corpses and bland features that merged with the night. The blond sighed, walking down the hallway, music blasting in his ears and blocking out all sound.

He didn't feel well. No, he wasn't well. He hadn't been since childhood, when the sickness had come and his family had been ripped away from him. Actually, ripped wasn't the word. It was more along the lines of burned. He growled, the sound vicious and deep. He was angry at himself, and truthfully, he will always be. He hadn't been strong enough. If he had, they would still be alive. They wouldn't have been burned to ashes. If he had been strong enough, everything would have been different. If he had only... he punched the wall, the bricks chipping and shuddering from the impact. His hand left the wall, knuckles splashed red with blood and peeling skin, and now laid limp by his side. His head was bowed and his bangs hid his eyes. The tears began to fall.

It had been so long since he had last cried, so long that he barely remembered. Maybe it was the day his parents had turned to ashes or maybe it was when he had made his first kill. Feeling the body gasp underneath him, eyes losing their shine and lips turning blue and skin becoming a pale pasty color. He took in a deep breath. It hurt to remember. Sometimes he just wished he could pick out parts of his brain and banish what he didn't need or better yet, want. He didn't need to remember their death, he didn't need to remember how it felt to have everyone back stab you and make you feel like shit. He didn't need to remember the sound of bombs and bullets and people screaming for life. And he sure as hell didn't need to remember shared nights between the sheets with his ex, or their heated fights and all the lies she told. He didn't need to remember a lot of things.

Not her, not them, not anything. He could live without the past and the bittersweet taste it brought. He took in a shaky breath and moved forward, his unharmed hand wiping away the tears. He didn't have time for silly things such as emotions. His wounded hand met the cold steel of the doorknob, his blood dripping slowly onto the handle. He turned it and walked into the coldness of the world.

* * *

Well if you wanted honesty, that's all you had to say.  
I never want to let you down or have you go, it's better off this way.  
For all the dirty looks, the photographs your boyfriend took,  
Remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second floor?

**_I'm Not Okay- My Chemical Romance_ **

* * *

It was still dark out, the outlines of trees looking more like monsters with long awkward limbs and sharp claws. He ignored the sound of snow and twigs meeting the bottom of his boots as he walked down the paved pathway that led to the city road. It was just his luck that the mansion was located right on the edge of urban London, for he didn't know if he could handle the sound of a busy place right now. His state of mind might have led to many deaths if it had been.

The moon shun down on the pathway, filling the cracks in the dampen dirt and the showcasing the beauty of the ice. He hated snow and he hated ice covered roads. They caused accidents and falls and he fucking hated falling and bruising his body. He wouldn't mind if the bruises were caused by sex, but bruises caused by falls reminded him that he was human, and he hated those reminders. He liked feeling less than human, he didn't know why, but he loved the sensation it caused him.

But pain and sickness and silly things such as emotions and memories made that feeling dim down into nothingness. It reminded him that he was only flesh and blood and he was bound to die at one point. Humans were only children of death after all.

His eyes, freezing cold and eerily calm, scanned the area with mild interest, hating the way the silence swirled around him like leaves in the fall. The silence drove him crazy, just like the sound of bullets tearing through the sky. It irked him that his mind kept wandering to his past and so, he shoved it back, deep into a part of his soul, so that he didn't need to remember. He stopped short of entering the quiet city of London, admiring the beautiful buildings and the dimming lights of some of the rooms. Naruto sighed and allowed a small smile, for he was finally alone and his mind was quiet and so all was well. But he needed to get going, so he quicken his pace and kept his mind on the destination: The Library.

It had been so long since he had been in one, seeing as he had become so busy with his previous job and every job after that. That excuse sounded silly even to his own ears. He sighed and rushed into the building as the wind picked up, snow sticking to his shoes and onto the red mat at the entrance. Blue eyes scanned the area. There were only a few people scattered around, looking thoroughly distracted in the books they were reading. The place was large, cozy with a fireplace and toys for children to play with. He walked between shelves that were stuffed to the brim with books, music and movies, trying to find what he was looking for. As he turned a corner, he spotted.

"Found you," the smile on his face was frightening, even as he checked out his things and left for the mansion.

Naruto walked towards Sakura's door, a displeased look on his face as he knocked. He heard movement before a loud bang met his ears. But the blond didn't move, not finding the will to care. The door continued to be unopened. He frowned and turned the knob, only to find that the door was locked. His frown got deeper. Sakura never locked her door. It was one of the stupidest habits that she had taken from childhood.

Naruto took out the keys from his pockets and opened the door, but he didn't move from the door frame. His azure eyes were widened in horror at the sight of the once tidy room.

The furniture was torn, chipped or flipped. The curtains were dangling by a few simple threads at this point, revealing an open window that let in the cold and the snow that had begun to pile in. But worst of all, was the blood. It was everywhere. It covered the bed she never used, the sleeping bag, the busted lamp, the scattered files on the floor, the hardwood floor and even the white walls.

He took in a deep breath, trying to ease the panic that was threatening to rip through him and prevent the scream that wanted to escape. The blond didn't stay any longer, running to the bathroom to puke up his meal from earlier. But as he made his way to the wash room, something in the kitchen caught his eye. He stopped, and with caution and a hint of fear, he walked towards the kitchen. He didn't even need to go into the kitchen to spot the nail marks on the floor. His eyes trailed over to the open cabinets, then the chairs on the floor and back to the plate shards and cups on the floor. He took a knife that was on the floor and decided he didn't have time to release acid into a bowel.

He ran to his room as quietly as he could, and grabbed the gun underneath the sleeping bag. He had carried it everywhere, after developing paranoia. His doctor had blamed this on PTSD, but he knew better. He quickly gathered his ghost equipment and bullets, double checking to see if the door was locked. Seeing as it was, he went on the computer, and looked through the videotapes of the kitchen and of Sakura's hallway and room.

He saw nothing out of the ordinary like always, until a few minutes later. Naruto frowned when he saw the kitchen shake violently, things falling everywhere and almost on his pink bitch assistant. The frown looked almost permanent now. But it left and was replaced with shock as he watched something grab milky legs and drag the body of the women he once loved under the table, while she screamed for him and clawed to the floor as if it were her lifeline. It probably was her only link to survival.

He looked at the screen showing her bedroom, but all he saw were things being thrown, before the screen went blank. He was more worried for himself than he was for Sakura, but Sakura was strong, even he had to admit that. She would fight till her heart stops beating.

Hearing a strange noise outside his door, Naruto stiffened. He gathered up his things in a bag and crawled under the unused bed. He held out the gun, pointing it towards the entrance, his fingers tight around the trigger and his knuckles white. He used the skills that he had learned during his time in the military and applied them as best as he could. A shadow could be seen from the bottom of the door frame, and Naruto had to bite his cheek in order to not fire at the figure on the other side. This was why he couldn't shoot a gun; he had been a little to trigger happy during his days as a soldier, and every bullet that flew through the air reminded him of fallen friends and enemies. He watched the handle move for a couple of seconds before the movement stopped.

But Naruto didn't dare move from his spot. His eyes trailed downwards, noting that the shadow was gone. Yet, he stayed rooted to his position. Naruto briefly wondered if he should relocate to the closet, but then the door started moving again, not just the handle, but the whole door itself. Screws seemed to unscrew themselves and the wood started chipping away. He breathed through his nostrils, struggling to not make a sound. But he could clearly hear his heartbeat and he wondered if it could be heard from the hallway.

His eyes stayed latched to the entrance and his heart kept beating, louder and louder.

_Boom, boom, boom._

He took a breath through his mouth, his hands slightly shaking and lips suddenly dry. He found it hard to stay still again, even as the door stopped moving and then...

The door fell and he jumped in his spot but managed to not pull the trigger on reflex. He saw nothing and heard nothing. He tried to steady himself, his eyes scanning the room at a frantic speed. It was too silent, he could even hear that damn annoying sound that he hated when there was no noise. And then it stopped, the beeping noise being replaced by something else. Something familiar and eerie.

Breathing... He shifted a bit, but found it hard to move. In fact, it was difficult to do anything at this point. He couldn't move, breathe or avert his eyes.

Then it clicked. But it was too late, he was always too late.

"I hope you like hell," he heard from behind him, an unfamiliar weight crushing his chest into the floor, as its breath, smelling of rotting flesh and sewage whispered into his ears. And with the slam of his head, he was gone, blood trickling into the cracks of wood, even as his body was dragged into the pits of the Underworld.

* * *

I stay silent 'cause we at war and I'm very patient

**_Charged Up – Drake_ **

* * *

Naruto was five when he saw his first dead body. It came in the sight of his mother and father's charred limbs, the smell of scorched meat stuck to the inside of his nostrils. He was numb as he watched literal parts of his parents flake off into ash, as the policeman made his way over to usher him into the back of the car. His home was a burnt mass, smoke escaping out the window, wood bleeding into black, the roof caving in as he was driven away.

Naruto was seven when he was locked in the coffin. The cold of the body next to his own urging his hands to work faster, to push harder, to claw through the wood. He was pressed up close, his growing frame squeezed tight against the corpse, his hands shaking as he bled. His voice was hoarse, the urge to scream strong even as he opened his mouth and a pathetic gasp escaped. It was hard to breathe, he was sweating, it smelled, and he just…he just… he banged against the frame, his bones aching, perspiration dripping down his brow, salty as he licked his lips. He wouldn't cry, he promised, but as his chest heaved for more air, he couldn't help the tears that fell. His case worker had found him, panting as he scratched at his throat uselessly.

His scars were faint on his neck, healed but deep enough when he gorged the flesh in a vain attempt to open up his airway. Darkness had always been his enemy. That's what he woke up to, his head throbbing as he pressed his palm against a sore spot. There was wetness on his face and he concluded it was blood after a brief inspection. The pain was strong and he staggered onto his feet, his side pressed against some kind of wall in the darkness. His hand reached out, unsteady even as he used it to guide him forward.

It was silent and cold, the wetness on his forehead still dripping and aching. Everything hurt. He ached as he walked, his vision wavering before he paused to steady himself. He felt raw, his skin itchy, his stomach empty, and his chest heaving as he fought back the fear. His first panic attack was when he was trapped with the corpse, one of the foster parents who had died of old age before he finally arrived. He couldn't recall a gender or face, just the press of flesh against his own and the smell of death in his nose. He smelt it, even here as he stumbled forward.

He was pathetic. He hadn't felt this way since the coffin, since his mother and father's barbecued body laid on their front lawn, their arms intertwined in each other's embrace. His own burns itched.

Where was he? Where was his partner? What was going on?

There was light in the distant, strong but a flicker in his own wavering vision. He needed to get there. He kept moving, even as his knee pulsed, even as his eyes blurred, even as he felt the lure of sleep tug heavy on his sleeve.

Sleep sounded pretty good right now.

The light beckoned him.

He arrived as near as he could, the sudden appearance of something wet drenching his pants filling him with dread. He still smelt his own blood, he hoped he wasn't standing in some too. He didn't know how far the liquid ran, but on the other side was the fire, his beckon of light now a beckon of death if he tried to cross to it. He retreated back onto solid ground. He collapsed onto the floor, his body exhausted and hungry. He was weak. He was always weak.

He laid on the ground, his eyes closed as he slowly breathed, the smell of death further ingrained with each inhale. He just needed to sleep for a moment.

"Dope." The silence was shattered.

His body tensed as he sprung onto his feet, his knee aching in protest. He saw blood red staring at him from the corner of the other guy's eyes. It was unmistakable, the pale features and black hair of the young man next to him had to be "Uchiha, Sasuke."

"Hn." The man lifted up his left hand, palm up, faced towards the fire so far from them. A boat materialized gradually, something Naruto had recognized its form after its materialization was almost complete. It was a small boat but big enough to support their weight. A black figure was on it, its own hand outstretched, porcelain against the darkness of its surroundings.

Naruto's mouth was slack but snapped shut as Sasuke came forward and placed something in the reaper's palm. Sasuke turned to him, his brow lifted as the boat was pushed off the edge. Naruto had no idea what was going on, but he was better off on that boat than alone in the shadows. The ride was slow and silent, a level of unease building in his stomach as he contemplated his life. Naruto wasn't stupid. He knew Greek mythology and had figured where he was upon seeing the scythe. What he didn't understand was why a serial killer, though dead, was across from him and willingly helping him out.

Sasuke only stared at the water, his reflection a ripple as the boat moved forward. "Aye…teme." Though he was referring to the other being, his eyes kept shifting to the animated skeleton whose face remained hidden beneath cloth. Naruto would rather keep it that way honestly.

The other male raised a brow, his mouth set in a thin line.

"Why are you…"

"Helping you?" Naruto nodded.

"I'm not. I just need you to complete a goal." Yeah, that sounded like a great idea. Fuck that.

But he stayed still and waited till they reached gates, the Underworld looming before them.

"If we go in, will we come out?" Sasuke turned his face to him, his expression grim.

"Very few have. I'm not sure if we would be so lucky. But your friend is in there." Then why-

"Along with my parents and Kakashi. I know their fates will not be kind." Naruto knew mythology to a point. The fate of those who entered was determined by a panel, made up of three individuals, who determined your afterlife sentence based on the crimes committed when alive.

He didn't know what kind of crimes Sasuke's parents had committed, but Kakashi had a good chance of getting screwed over. But why should he help him? He could just go in there, figure out a way to get Sakura out, and get as far away from the mansion as possible. Screw Kabuto, his down payment was nonrefundable anyway.

"The Underworld is not something you can simply enter and exit. There are deals, there are sacrifices, and neither of us can do this alone." His teeth were grinding together, irritation evident along the furrow of his brows.

It was true. He was foolish if he thought they could do this without consequence. There was no choice but to go forward. He just hoped he was still alive after all this.


End file.
